Enters Night
by Talani Silverwolf
Summary: The accident that occured just prior to 'High Tide'
1. Before There Was Only Darkness

It hadn't occurred to me to write about the events that led up to the story in 'High Tide', but since I was asked by Lattelady, I figured "What the heck, why not?". Thanks LL for the suggestion! Enjoy.  
  
  
  
Title - Enters Night  
Author - Talani Silverwolf  
Codes - A/T, Rated PG, Prequel to 'High Tide'  
Genre - Angst  
  
Premise - The accident that occurred prior to 'High Tide'.  
  
  
  
  
Everyone on the bridge was spellbound at the vision before them, a wide expanse of shimmering blue dotted with small chains of green and tan. A low whistle came from the awed engineer of the Enterprise, his comment one of amazement.  
"Will ya look at that! It's gotta be like paradise down there."  
The initial reports were still coming in as Captain Archer turned and addressed his science officer.  
"T'Pol, any indications of higher life forms down there?"  
"I am detecting a variety of flora and fauna but nothing so far to indicate intelligence."  
He turned his attention back to the screen as he continued, "It might be an idealic place for some shore leave if nothing else."  
The world was 1/4 larger then Earth with almost 75% of the surface covered in oceans, the atmosphere was comparable to Earth's as well with a scattering of clouds dotting it. The ambient equatorial temperature read as 36 degrees Celsius, with the polar regions only 10 degrees below that.  
Archer stood as he spoke, "I think I'd like a closer look at one of those bigger islands. Lieutenant, get a shuttle ready please."  
The armory officer looked over at the Captain and gave him an affirmative nod, then moved from behind his station and headed for the lift. Just as he was about to enter, a calm voice halted his forward motion.  
"Lieutenant, I'm detecting unusual anomalies in the atmosphere. Extra shielding would be advised."  
Reed glanced at Archer before responding to the science officer, "What's the nature of these anomalies Sub-commander?"  
"Initial readings indicate they are electrical and occur randomly over open waters. None have lasted more than 5 seconds."  
"Very well, I'll see that the shields are boosted by 50%. Thank you." He stepped into the lift and closed the door, wearing a thoughtful expression as they sealed.  
The bridge fell silent for a moment as the crew continued to admire the world below. With a steady tone, Sub-commander T'Pol looked up at the Captain as she spoke, "Sir, it would be best if you waited for more detailed information to be acquired before going to the surface. The unpredictable nature of these electrical bursts warrant caution."  
He gave her an annoyed look before answering, "You mentioned they last only a few seconds, I can't see how that might pose a threat. The shields should protect us from any real danger, unless there's more to them than that?"  
She stared at him a moment, her face unreadable as she finally replied, "No, but we do not have enough data yet to make an informed decision. We do not know what their energy range is, it would be unwise to risk a landing at this time."  
Archer waved her off as he took his seat while he waited for Malcolm to contact him, saying in an offhand way, "I'm not convinced, besides, what are the chances of one occurring in our vicinity before we land?"  
There was no response as he turned his attention back to the watery vistas before him. He could tell she was still looking at him out of the corner of his eye, probably trying to think of another reason for him to remain onboard.  
She finally returned to analysing the incoming data, thinking how stubborn he could be at times. Any reasonable being would heed such advice, it made no sense to disregard a warning that was meant to ensure the safety of all personnel.  
Before long, the message came that the shuttle was ready. The Captain called back that he was on his way, he stood up and came over to lean on T'Pol's station. She looked up at him without comment, wondering if he expected her to challenge his decision. He straightened with a quizzical expression on his face, which faded as he asked, "Are you coming?"  
She rose from her station and gave a curt nod, following behind him without speaking. As they rode the lift, he tried to raise a response from her by questioning the type of effect the energy from these anomalies could have if they happened to run into one. All he got was a slight glance from her without the usual raising of an eyebrow.  
He shifted his stance while he turned his head, the lift coming to a stop before he could say anything more. They both walked towards the waiting shuttle, Mr. Reed was watching them as they approached. When he noticed the look on the Captain's face, he glanced at the Sub-commander and noticed her stiff posture. A guarded tone crept into his voice, "Everything all right sir?"  
"Everything's fine Malcolm. We'll contact you once we land, it shouldn't take too long to chart one of the larger islands."  
"Very well, I'll see you when you return."  
Archer climbed in and took the pilot's seat as T'pol checked the equipment they were taking, after finishing she climbed into the adjacent seat and began running the pre-flight checks. With an annoyed grunt, he closed his eyes as he grumbled, "Look, I know you don't like that I'm going, but you're little silent treatment isn't going to change my mind so just quit it."  
She lifted her head and gazed straight ahead and spoke icily, "Systems check is complete, we are ready to proceed."  
She jumped as he exploded, "God damn it! Are you going to act like this for the entire trip?!"  
With a slight turn of her head in his direction, she saw that he was glaring at her in irritation. Closing her eyes while she drew in a deep breath, she paused before opening them to meet his gaze squarely. There was a slight edge in her voice as she spoke.  
"Captain, it makes no sense to endanger yourself for selfish personal reasons. You would be wise to let others determine the exact risks involved before taking that chance."  
He sighed as he let his chin drop towards his chest and replied, "It might seem like a selfish thing wanting to be one of the first people down there, but the odds of any electro-anomolies striking as we're landing are pretty slim according to your readings."  
"It does not rule it out either sir."  
"What's the worse that could happen?"  
"There is no conclusive results without further analysis."  
"All right, what would be your best guess?"  
He detected an almost unperceivable twitch in the corner of her eye as she stated, "Assuming the output of energy is similar and with the extra shielding a partial loss to systems could occur."  
"Then it would also be safe to assume that using manual overrides in the event of such a loss would allow us to make a safe landing, correct?"  
"It's possible."  
"Well then, that has to reduce the risk factor to an acceptable level, doesn't it?"  
T'Pol was silent a moment as she studied him with a guarded look, the words when they came were said in a quiet resigned tone.  
"Yes. I would prefer.." She let the sentence die knowing that reasoning with him was pointless, recalling all to clearly how it only seemed to make him more determined to prove her wrong. She became aware that he was still looking at her, when she met his eyes, they were dark and an odd note edged his voice.  
"You'd prefer what?"  
With a deft motion, she turned her head away from him as she answered, "It is of no importance."  
He shook his head as he snapped, "Fine!"  
With angry motions, he powered up the engines and checked the read-outs before addressing her in a terse manner, "All systems are set and ready to go."  
The cabin was exceptionally silent as they traveled to the planet, their attention centered on the immediate task. As they began to enter the upper atmosphere a vibration rocked the shuttle, making it hard for the Captain to maintain course. A warning signal suddenly came alive, indicating they were entering heavy turbulence, T'Pol quickly compensated by adjusting the thrusters making the handling somewhat easier.  
The large island selected for landing was in view as they continued to descend, the wide level beach that separated the ocean from the lush jungle was an ideal landing site. Without warning, one of the sensors lit up, Archer was turning to reach for it just as a massive shudder seized the craft. Sparks flew from the control board in a great explosion and then every light went dead. Through the haze, he began to desperately work the emergency controls in an attempt to angle the shuttle for the beach-line with the hope that the water would absorb some of the impact.  
T'Pol watched for a moment as he fought the controls, then began looking for a spot to brace herself in, knowing that a crash was inevitable. She noticed the small area behind her seat and the main cabin compartment, if she were to slide into the gap there would be just enough space for her to sit. As she positioned herself, a strangled curse caught her attention.  
"Shit!"  
She looked out to see the smooth sand of the beach racing towards them, her concern shifted as she realized the Captain was positioned in the worst location for a crash. Her voice was rough as she shouted to him, "Captain, you need to move back now!"  
Too late, the shuttle made contact with the ground and was sent into a sideways skid before losing a stabilizer. The ship rotated as the nose pitched down into the sand, doing a cartwheel that ended with it rolling over completely several times before coming to a rest on its side.  
Stunned by the impact, Sub-commander T'Pol clung to her precarious position attempting to assess what injury she might have taken during those frantic moments. The pain in her side could be a possible broken rib, the sticky warmth that trickled down her cheek was from a gash in her scalp. Assured there was no serious damage, she slowly climbed out from her impromptu haven. It was difficult to clearly see through the smoke and haze that filled the cabin, but she had to determine weather or not the Captain had survived.  
As she began searching through the debris a low moan brought her attention to a jumble of broken panels and more undefined drift that had partially covered the form of Captain Archer. She shifted it off of him with cautious haste, not wanting to cause further damage to him. As her efforts finally revealed his face, she felt a knot form in her gut. Blood masked most of his face, his breathing was shallow and uneven with a faint whistle on each exhalation.  
Taking a deep breath in order to calm the disquieting cold that had gripped her, she considered her next course of action. Foremost was getting him where she could better attend to his injuries, then worry about contacting the ship, they must surely be aware by now of the disaster that had befallen them. So with great care she hauled him out from the mangled remains of control boards and dragged him to the rear of the shuttle where there was more space to assertain the extent of his wounds.  
Once she had him positioned, she went to work on locating the emergency supplies in hope the medical kit had survived. It was with a sense of great relief that she found it in a relatively undamaged state, none of the seals were more than scratched. Tucking the kit under an arm she returned to the Captainonly to experienced a sense of dread as she saw the palor of his skin.  
She rushed over and knelt next to him, placing the med-kit aside as she layed her hand on his forehead. It felt cold and he was beginning to shiver, shock was setting in. Quickly standing up, she climbed over to the locker which housed miscelanious supplies and yanked out all the blankets, taking them back to Archer and wrapping him as best she could.  
As she started to clean the gore from his face, his eyes fluttered open and he caught sight of her. It was clearly an effort for him to speak when he finally uttered just one word in a hoarse whisper, "T'Pol?"  
Before she could respond, his eyes rolled to the side as they closed. It gave her reason to do what she did next.  
With one hand, she placed her fingers carefully on the side his face and concentrated on trying to feel his thoughts. Pain, fear, and oddly guilt comprised the recognizable emotions she felt, they made it difficult for her to find the concious part of his mind. Gathering her strength, she pushed on until finally sensing the part of him that was 'Jonathan Archer'.  
With a part of her mind, she sent out a thought to him, trying to keep him from slipping into the darkness forever. *Captain* There was no response. Considering a moment, she tried a different tactic. *Jonathan* A slight stirring of his thoughts gave her hope.  
*Jonathan, you must stay with me.*  
Disbelief warred with astonishment as his mind attempted to process the contact, making her all the more determined to maintain it. His own mind reached out and grasped at the delicate connection she had created, which she allowed. Under normal circumstances she would have pulled away from such contact but the fear of losing him overshadowed the possible hazards of her meld.  
She continued for almost an hour before finally drawing back and slumping wearily against a wall. Squeezing her eyes shut briefly, she turned to study him a moment before completing her first-aid. His breathing seemed less strained, but there was still cause to worry. Through the link she had been able to assertain that he had suffered internal injury which no doubt was bleeding. He needed proffesional attention, and soon or he would lose his battle to stay alive.  
Her vision blurred suddenly, she rubbed at her eyes and was surprised as her fingers came away wet. It had to be from the dust and lingering smoke still in the air that was causing her eyes to run and the lump that had formed in her throat. She squared her shoulders and directed all her attention on tending the wounds that she could, and hoped that Enterprise would soon rescue them. 


	2. After The Darkness Must Come Some Light

My sincerest thanks goes out to Lattelady for the suggestion to write a prequel to 'High Tide'. Hope you all enjoy it! Oh yeah! Xanny says 'Hi!', to all of you and wishes you all a bright New Year!  
  
PART 2  
  
  
T'Pol awoke with a start as she glanced around, it had been the sound of a slight groan from the Captain that alerted her. Leaning towards him, she quietly asked, "Captain, are you awake?"  
Without opening his eyes he very faintly replied, "What happened?"  
"We crashed, but do not worry yourself with that now."  
He gave a slight laugh which turned into a ragged gasping cough. His eyes opened and he focused on her. His words were barely a whisper as he spoke, "Aren't you going to say 'I told you so'?"  
Fighting back the urge to scream, she calmly responded, "It would serve little purpose considering the seriousness of our situation Captain."  
His head turned as he closed his eyes, his next words sent a chill down her back. "When they find us, ask Trip if he'd take care of Porthos."  
Struggling to control the emotions that threatened to break free, she managed to keep her voice calm as she said, "Captain, you told me once that you would be there if I needed you. I am asking that you now try to stay with me."  
With the barest hint of a nod, he rocked his head in her direction his sentence broken by gasps as he fought for air, "How long?", "Since, we left?"  
"5.2 hours approximately."  
"Trip will have", "organized a rescue team", "by now."  
"Captain, you must not exert yourself." She gently placed her hand on his chest to reassure him and felt how fast his heart was beating, the uneven pace of which raised her concern for his chances of surviving.  
How long could a Human heart keep so frantic a pace before failing?  
Noticing that it had been several minutes since he last spoke, she leaned close over his face and quietly enquired, "Captain, you must stay with me. The lethargy you feel is due to internal bleeding, if you lose consciousness now you will die."  
The Captain coughed weakly as he tried to speak, he waited till it passed before continuing. "Trying to keep", "awake.", "So tired."  
"I understand, but you mustn't fall asleep." She paused while she examined his face, her voice dropping to a mere whisper as she continued, "I need you to stay with me Captain."  
Reaching down, she took his cold hand in her's and laid it in her lap in an attempt to distract and stimulate his attention enough to prevent him from passing out. With firm gentle strokes she massaged the palm between her hands and was rewarded with a twitch as he tried to automatically pull back. Their eyes met as she looked up at him, an anguished expression was on his face.  
Uncertain how to comfort him, all she could do was offer him words of encouragement and hope that help would soon arrive, the sound of her voice seemed to give him strength to hang on. It was while she paused to take a sip from the water rations that a faint thrum caught her attention. Sitting erect, she cocked her head to one side as she tried to define the noise. Her pulse began to race as she recognized the sound of thrusters braking, she fairly flew as she leapt through the gaping hole left by the shattered fairing.  
Waving her arms over her head, she had never felt such a sense of relief before as she watched the shuttle land nearby. Commander Tucker was the first to jump clear and race over to her, the anxiety he was feeling eased a little when he realized at least one person had survived. He ran right up to her and grabbed a hold on her shoulders as he looked her up and down before speaking.  
"Are ya all right Sub-commander? Where's the Capt'n?"  
His hands dropped from her as she turned and led him through the wreckage, speaking in a low voice. "He has sustained critical injuries Commander, I have done what I can, but we must hurry and get him back to the ship."  
Trip's face noticeably paled when he caught sight of Archer, he had to clear his throat before turning to her and saying, "You can go ahead and wait in the shuttle while we get the Capt'n."  
As she walked towards the waiting craft, the other members of the rescue party came out carrying medical equipment. Lieutenant Reed gave her a respectful nod as he hurried by, Ensign Mayweather paused as she passed him, he looked like he wanted to say something but wasn't certain if she'd even respond. He shook his head as he turned and jogged the rest of the way, stopping as he entered to let his vision adjust to the dim interior. Trip and Reed already had the Captain strapped into the stretcher with a cervical collar and EEG/EKG device in place. Malcolm glanced up, then pushed several buttons on the monitor and waited for a series alarms to finish before giving a satisfied nod. With a quick glance at Trip, he said, "I'll go inform the ship that we've located the Captain and Sub-commander, and to have the Doctor standing by."  
The armory officer stood and picked his way through the rubble, the anxiety that he felt echoing in his movements.  
Tucker sighed as he stood and glanced over to Mayweather, "Mind taking the other end for me?" Travis marched over and bent down, taking a firm hold of the handgrips as he looked at Trip and waited for him to signal when he was ready. The two of them had to lift, turn, and angle their burden slowly around obstacles before they finally emerged into warm twilight.  
Once Trip was sure the Captain was safely secured, he quietly walked over and sat next to T'Pol. He realized he was still carrying the bag that contained the dirty clothing he had removed from the Captain, he glanced around and shrugged, setting the sack down in the space between them. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he stared out the port while he spoke, "You did a pretty good job on keepin' him alive till we got here Sub-commander, I just wanted ta thank ya. When I saw what was left of the shuttle, I thought sure our rescue had turned into a recovery mission."  
Her weary response reminded him that she had also been hurt, "I did what I could." she closed her eyes as she continued and rested her head on the wall behind her. "Is it normal Commander, for Humans to make sarcastic comments when they sustain traumatic injury."  
He looked at her a moment before commenting. "No, not really. Sometimes when a person's under a lotta stress, they say things to see if the rest of us were payin' attention to 'em in tha first place. Other times, they say stuff to let us know they were payin' attention too."  
With the merest nod, she acknowledged his explanation. She could no longer fight off the fatigue that had seeped into ever molecule of her body, her exhausted mind shut down and the sanctuary of sleep gave her respite from the confusing turmoil inside her head.  
Trip watched while T'Pol drifted off, glad that he hadn't been forced to order her to rest. After a couple of minutes, he got up and checked on Jon. They'd be back on board Enterprise shortly where the Doctor was waiting in surgery. When he turned around, a soft smile crossed his face. Sub-commander T'Pol was laying on her side, curled up with the bag he'd left under her head.  
  
It was the absence of noise that woke her, with her head still slightly fuzzy from sleep, she sat up and looked at the Captain. She flinched as a shrill alarm went off, bringing an immediate response from the crew. While Trip dashed in, Malcolm released the seals on the hatch and called out as he shoved it open, "Doctor, hurry!"  
Phlox bustled in, he ran a couple of short scans while directing his assistants as they prepared to deliver their patient directly to surgery. In moments they were gone, leaving behind several amazed, astonished, appreciative Humans, and one stunned Vulcan. She rose stiffly from the bench and absently thanked the Lieutenant before turning to exit, watching her step as she placed her feet on the shuttle bay's deck.  
Knowing that it would be hours before any news on the Captain's condition being released, T'Pol headed for her quarters and hoped that no one stopped to question her about the accident. Thankfully most of the passages were deserted, allowing her to gather her thoughts into some semblance of order. A faint sigh fluttered from her lips as she closed her door and leaned on it a moment, with only one thing on her mind she climbed into her shower and stayed there till she was fairly certain not a trace of grime could possibly remain. She dried then wrapped a light robe about her body and sat on her bunk, staring out the window, wondering how the surgery was proceeding.  
Nearly 4 hours had passed when the Sub-commander answered the buzz from the comm. The relief filled voice of Commander Tucker was a welcomed sound.  
"Sub-commander, Doc says the Capt'n's gonna be all right! He should come round in little while once the anesthesia wears off. I'll talk ta ya later, Tucker out."  
She closed her eyes, grateful that the Denobulan physician proved to be such a resourceful medic. With a fluid motion, she rose from the bed and crossed the room. Once she was dressed, it took her only minutes to make her way down to sick bay, the smell of antiseptics as she entered made her nose wrinkle and her step to falter. She wondered if the Doctor had spilled some.  
Phlox's smile deepened when he noted who it was that had entered, he came around the pulled curtain that concealed his patient from her view.  
"Sub-commander. I assume you're here to check on the Captain's recovery?"  
"Yes, Doctor."  
"Well, the damage was severe, the worst being the rupture to the diaphragm which was the cause of his labored breathing. Fortunately the Human liver regenerates itself, so. As for the spleen, mmm, they seem to be able to get by with just a portion of it. Quite amazing really, fascinating to think some organs in the Human body aren't even vital anymore, holdovers from their more primitive beginnings. Truly astounding!"  
One brow arched slightly as she replied, "Yes, interesting. When do you expect him to regain consciousness Doctor?"  
"Hmm? Oh, shouldn't be too much longer. Would you like me to contact you when he does?"  
"That is generous of you Doctor, I would appreciate it."  
His eyes twinkled as he watched her leave, his head shaking from side to side as he considered the profound actions she must have taken to prevent the Captain from dying. His only clue was slight elevations in the Seratonin and L-dopa levels in the brain, along with an unusual neural firing pattern that indicated recent telepathic contact.  
Carefully checking the I.V. lines before retiring to his office, Phlox paused to study the bio-readings a moment. As he began to turn he stopped and look at the Captain. His head wagged as he ambled to his office, Archer was most fortunate that their Science officer had, for whatever reason, been willing to risk herself by forming a mind melde with him. It was most likely that if she hadn't, he wouldn't be with them now. The Doctor settled into his chair and briefly toyed with the notion of calling her on it, but mentaly chided himself for trying to meddle in what he knew was strickly a private matter.  
Sitting back, he put his curious notions aside as he picked up a PADD and reviewed the record, keeping alert for any signs that Captain Archer was stirring, glad that this time everthing turned out in their favor. 


End file.
